27°57′36″N 82°26′6″W / 27.96000°N 82.43500°W
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Foodservice |
Predecessor | Saloon Columbia (1903–1905) |
Founded | 1905 |
Founder | Casimiro Hernandez, Sr.[1] |
Headquarters | Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, United States |
Number of locations | 7 |
Area served | Florida |
Key people | Richard Gonzmart, President/CEO |
Revenue | $42M (1991–last published[when?])[citation needed] |
Number of employees | 1,200[citation needed] |
Parent | 1905 Family Of Restaurants |
Website | www |
Columbia Restaurant is a restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in Florida,[2] as well as the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States.[3] The 15 dining rooms cover 52,000 ft seating 1,700 customers. It is the largest Spanish restaurant in the world and occupies an entire city block.[2][4] Founded in 1903 as Saloon Columbia, it was renamed in 1905 to Columbia Restaurant. The landmark has been owned by the Hernandez-Gonzmart family for five generations and serves Spanish and Cuban cuisine.[5]
In addition to the original location in Ybor City, there are Columbia restaurants in Sarasota (opened in 1959);[6] in St. Augustine (opened in 1983); on Sand Key (1989); and in Celebration, Florida (1997).[6] There are also smaller Columbia Café restaurants located at the Tampa Bay History Center (opened in 2009) and at Tampa International Airport (opened in May 2012).[6]
The original restaurant's wine list contains more than 1,000 wines with an inventory exceeding 50,000 bottles.[7][8] The restaurant features several private-label wines and liquors created to honor family members.[9] The popular house sangria is mixed tableside,[10][11] and the recipe has dozens of posts on the internet.
In the early 1950s, César Gonzmart traded his career as a musician for one as a restaurateur, but after he became general manager, he regularly serenaded his guests with his violin and orchestra.[12] Until illness prevented it, he performed regularly and music has always been key to the dining experience.[13] There is still live music on weekends.[14]
Maria Esparza began performing flamenco dance shows at the Columbia Restaurant in 1988. She has been the show's director since 2008.[15] She says that flamenco is not only a dance, but also art. The dancers tell the story of Spain's culture through their dancing.[15] Esparza explains, "It's really hard what we do. The coordination is like no other. We work with our hands and the footwork, we're doing percussion with our footwork."[15] There are dinner shows Tuesday through Saturday.[16][14]
Beginning in 1997, the Columbia Restaurant has held a monthly Community Harvest campaign during September.[17] The chain donates 5% of all guests' lunch and dinner checks, allowing patrons to designate the charitable organizations of their choice.[18] As of 2015, the event had generated more than $1.8 million for Florida nonprofits.[17]
For Columbia's 75th anniversary in 1980, they held a street festival, "Back to Ybor City" with an art show, entertainment with flamenco dancing and "food prices of yesterday".[17] The restaurant celebrated "1905 Day" from 1980 to 2013. On a random September or October day, a special menu with 1905 prices was in effect from noon to 7 p.m.[19][20] Hundreds of diners lined up outside before the restaurant opened for the opportunity of a great bargain.[17] In 2014, the restaurant announced it would celebrate "1905 Day" in the future on significant anniversaries.[17] The next 1905 day may be in 2025 for their 120th anniversary.[17]
The annual Cesar Gonzmart Memorial Golf Tournament (CGMGT) began in 1995 by Columbia Restaurant owners Richard and Casey Gonzmart in memory of their father, who died of pancreatic cancer.[21] Proceeds from the event benefit educational programs in communities where the Columbia Restaurants are located.[22]
Columbia Restaurant, through funds raised during the 2001 CGMGT, and the Sant 'Yago Education Foundation gave $5,000 to support the American Heart Association's American Heart Heroes Week project, an initiative that provides camp experiences for children with cardiovascular disease.[23] The 2003 CGMGT raised over $55,000 for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, the University of South Florida Athletic Association, and a donation to the USF Latino Scholarship Program.[21]
In 2009, the Columbia Restaurant was recognized as one of the 25 iconic restaurants of the Tampa-St.Petersburg area by the St. Petersburg Times.[24] It was also listed in Nation's Restaurant News in the "Top 50 All-American icon category."[25] The 2022 Michelin Guide for Florida rated Columbia as "Recommended".[26]
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